What is Decentralized Cloud Storage?

Blockchain is becoming one of the fastest growing technology and has been adopted by many people all over the world. Traditionally, we have centralized cloud storage system where all the data is stored in the private cloud. In this article, we will discuss about “decentralized cloud storage” which is going to be the future of storage technology.

What is Decentralized Cloud Storage?

In simple terms, decentralized cloud storage is the storage system where data is stored on multiple computers or servers and these servers are hosted by the people or companies which are taking part in this decentralized cloud.

It is a P2P (peer-to-peer) decentralized cloud storage solution. In this cloud solution, your files are protected with the help of blockchain technology and cryptography to encrypt files. Basically, data is distributed across a chain of computers making it easily accessible and inexpensive solution.

In decentralized cloud storage network anyone can participate and become the member. It is very exciting to know that participants can also earn money in cryptocurrency by sharing their unused disk space.

Imagine, you have an extra 1TB of the hard disk which is of no use to you or you are hardly using it. So, by participating in decentralized cloud storage, you can earn cryptocurrency by just adding your unused space to the pool.

There are many advantages of decentralized cloud storage over centralized cloud storage, which we will list below.

Benefits Decentralized Cloud Storage

Peer-To-Peer system.

No dedicated servers for data storage.

Requires less computing power, and bandwidth.

Provides data security by encrypting the files during transmission and when stored.

High data redundancy.

Flexible load balancing.

Allow renting of free space of your hard disk.

Higher Availability.

Less expensive as compared to traditional cloud storage.

Verifiability

Above were some of the advantages of decentralized cloud storage over traditional cloud storage which do not need any explanation. Seeing above advantages we can say that it can be future of cloud storage in coming years.

Some of the companies which are providing fully distributed system are Sia, Storj, Maidsafe and Ethereum, which are based on blockchain technology and a peer-to-peer architecture.

How Decentralized Cloud Storage Works

Working of distributed or decentralized cloud storage is very simple. All the workers or participating users are connected over a P2P network and stores data in a very secure and decentralized way. The files are broken into small data chunks, and intelligently distributed across many of the nodes which are located globally with the help of blockchain technology.

The users who participate in renting their extra storage capacity are paid via cryptocurrency and end users who use this space also pay in cryptocurrency and upload their data. So, there is no centralized governing body, who is holding all the data.

There is complete privacy in transmitting and storing the data as no third party is involved in between and each participating node only stores encrypted fragments of user data which the only user has authority to manage it through their own public/private keys. So, now the user has full control over their data because of blockchain technology used.

This network is highly secure, faster and less expensive than the traditional cloud storage and thus soon going to overthrow traditional cloud storage systems.

After reading this article, you must have got the idea what is decentralized cloud storage and how it is beneficial. So, just contemplate and let us know the answer to below question.

Do you think “Decentralized Cloud Storage” will be the future storage technology?

Do let us know through your comments as per our understanding it is soon going to revolutionize the cloud storage world.

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2 Comments

Hashmi ObaidSeptember 1, 2017

Good to hear the concept of decentralized data storage and the thing that a user with having some spare HDD space can participate in this form of cloud storage, I am just concern about data security and availability, because suppose I have given my 500 GB space for decentralized cloud storage but most of the time my PC remains shutdown then how the intended user can access his/her data ?

Data is secure through encryption and one node does not have complete data at any time of the user. Your PC should remain switched ON to participate in decentralized cloud storage, else you won’t be earning.

Even if your PC is shutdown, data can be easily recovered or reconstructed as it is present in fragments in nodes.